Nialgregory, Cachimbo looks like loads of fun! That surdu is gigantic!! It must rumble the houses!
Here's our Mozambique from April 11th, how does it sound?
http://mrcrowder.us/cong/BambocheMozambiqueApril11.mp3I'm playing the shekere, and I try to make it sound like a ganza. It's a technique I just worked out so that I could keep it up through an entire song. Definitely wasn't easy, and I'm very proud of myself, as well as the rest of the guys.. Scott's obviously an accomplished quinto player, Thom is a wicked bell player, and Dave is a force of nature on anything he does, in this case the bomba.
We've been going through changes and lots of learning as usual. Just had our two gigs of the year and Jeff went back to Oaklahoma, Rapa went back to Georgia, the guys in the hills are all snowed in and noone can leave the house except by snow shoes or skis.
So, yesterday at the Rumba Ritz, Dan, Larry, and Dave couldn't make it, but Eric, Scott, myself, and a new guy - Reed were there for a quick little session and sharing of discs.
Reed's awesome! He's a kid that just graduated from the school of music in Wisconsin. Turns out he knows Mike who came to the Humboldt Afro-Cuban Workshops last year! So, he's another one of Mike Spiro's minions. They're everywhere! Mike spent a fair amount of time with their percussion program, so three of them came to Humboldt last year just because of Mike's influence on their college. And another crazy coincidence is that Thom, the batalero in our group is also a student of Mike's. So, Reed actually knows him because of a program that Thom ran for his percussion students in Denver where Mike came in as a visiting expert, and he sat in!
He played a kachimbo on bembe, the clave on a guaguanco, and segundo on a Palo all completely unflinching and steady! Man you gotta love people like that who can step right in and play! We are way psyched to have him around now!
I just got off the phone a few days ago with Mario and he was saying my drums are close to finished,, so I'll give another month before they're really ready...
I read between the lines.. and I know it's worth the wait. But, I can't wait!
Just days ago I sent off the check for the Humboldt Workshops! Woohoo! That's always a big highlight of the year for me. Thom's going. James and Geordie, you guys are going, right? Lisa? Congamyk? Still thinking about it?